It was drama galore at the Jaguar sponsored Simola Hill Climb event as cars from different classes battled to be the quickest up the legendary Simola Hill in Knysna, South Africa. Cheki was invited to this international event and our motoring guru experienced exclusively how the South African racing culture has evolved over the years. The three-day event was attracted motoring enthusiasts from far and wide to watch the three class shoot out.
Reghard Roets earned his second King of the Hill title in a row with another exceptional performance in the mighty street-legal Nissan GT-R, having set the pace throughout the weekend. As the lone GT-R in the category, he raised the bar even further after he beat his current Hill climb record for standard road cars by 0,135 seconds, bettering last year’s result during the Class Finals with a time of 44,631 seconds.
In the Modified Saloon Car category, reigning champion Wilhelm Baard, in the leading Nissan GT-R, had his sights set on a third Hill climb title, going head-to-head against fellow GT-R rivals Edrich Zwiers, Quinsley Sale, Martin van Zummeren, Darron Gudmanz and Kyle Mitchell. Nevertheless, he managed to pull a blinder of a run out the hat in the Class Final, blasting through the timing beam in 39,533 seconds to set a new record for the class. In the Top 10 Shootout, run from slowest to fastest, it was anyone’s guess who would take the all-or-nothing single shot at glory. We hope that our local motorsports clubs can in the future organize world class events that can rival the Jaguar Simola Hill Climb
Mercedes unveils X-Class Pick up for sub-sahara Africa
German luxury vehicle maker Mercedes unveiled the X-Class pick up for the sub-Sahara market in George, South Africa. In a bid to shore up sales in this very competitive segment, The X-Class utilizes the Nissan Navara platform but modifiefd to meet Mercedes comfort and refinement standards. It will be powered by a 140kW/450Nm 2,3 litre twin turbo diesel mated to a 7-speed automatic gearbox. Cabin wise expect the traditional Elegance and Avantgarde levels of equipment and We expect that local dealer DT Dobie have it in Kenya by Q3 2018. Visit www.dtdobie.co.ke for more details.
Volkswagen launches the Arteon saloon
The spiritual successor to the Passat CC is out, aptly named the Arteon. Based on the Passat lineage, the Arteon is designed for the sporty driver in mind and will be powered by a potent 213Kw/380Nm 2.0L TSI Turbo engine and an optional 297 kW plug in V6 hybrid version in future. Volkswagen Kenya will have this model by Q3 2018
BMW brings out the big gun M5 Competition model
Ze German horsepower stakes has gone a notch higher with BMW adding more oomph to its current M5 offering. The Pumped up M5 Competition will now gain an extra 19Kw/50Nm, taking its power peak to 460Kw/800Nm, surpassing arch rival Mercedes E63 AMG S by an extra 10Kw. This essentially means that the M5 Competition will accelerate from naught to 100km/h in 3.3 seconds and only stop at 305 km/h! If you feel like you have the guts to handle this Beemer visit Bavaria Auto in Nairobi and find out more about the M5 Competition.